The successor of Democratic icon and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looks increasingly likely to be state Sen. Scott Wiener and not her own endorsed pick, according to preliminary election results Wednesday morning.

With a little more than half of the ballots in the 11th Congressional District counted, Wiener had 55.4% of the vote over San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan’s 44.6%.

She was trailing at least 17,100 votes behind Wiener’s 87,641 votes.

Wiener on election night seemed to project confidence that he would win.

“Tonight San Francisco voted for results,” Wiener said at a crowded election night party, where he also recalled arriving in the city as a “nerdy” young gay man. If he wins, he would be San Francisco’s first openly gay man in Congress.

That young man “saw people like him everywhere and he knew he was home…I have dedicated my life to this city and to this community,” he said.

Chan, on the other hand, still kept hope that the results can turn in her favor.

“We are proud and we have every reason to keep our heads high,” she reportedly said. “Look at what you made possible. Working people came together, took on extraordinary spending, and made their voices heard. And across the country, we saw what happens when working people stand up and fight back.”

Chan’s gap behind Wiener comes despite her landing the coveted endorsement of Pelosi herself. The endorsement did boost Chan past the primary into the general election, but it seemed it could not chip away at Wiener’s base of support from pro-housing advocates, tech executives and LGBTQ organizations.

Chan carved her own lane in the race with the city’s progressive camps, labor unions and communities like Chinese neighborhoods on the Westside.

Wiener and Pelosi have reportedly had a tense relationship ever since the state senator made it clear he’s been long eyeing her seat, even before she announced she would retire. Pelosi’s endorsement of Chan was seen as a sign of that rebuke.

Pelosi, at a Politico event on Aug. 11, dodged questions about her intervention in the race and her thoughts on Wiener. She said at that event she endorsed Chan because the former speaker wanted to see more women in Congress.

Pelosi loomed large over both candidates’ watch parties. Chan thanked Pelosi for her endorsement, while Wiener called the longtime San Francisco representative “the greatest speaker in modern American history.”

Pelosi has held the seat for 40 years before announcing she would retire. At 85 years old, Pelosi has spent roughly four decades in public office.

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